We’ve gone over the nutrition basics, what eating healthy includes, and some rules to go by. The next step is to learn how to take to make healthy eating a reality. More often that not I hear people say “I don’t have time to be healthy.” Time is a huge barrier in our society to being healthy—fast food, convenience, drive-thru are often the words that describe our meals. Eating healthy can be just as feasible, it just takes more planning. Here are some steps to take in order to make the healthy choice the easy choice:

Plan Your Meals

You know the feeling, you are driving home, stuck in traffic, you woke up late and worked an extra hour—the last thing you want to do is to make dinner. This scenario often results in stopping by Popeye’s or throwing whatever you have at home together at the last minute. Planning your meals will allow you to have your refrigerator stocked, and ideally your food already prepared. What I do is cook for the week on Sunday night; that way I have dinner ready to heat up when I get home from work on Monday. Another thing I like to do is use my slow cooker, this way my dinner was cooking all day and is finished when I walk in the door!

Make a List and Stick to It

After you have planned your meals make a list of items you will need. The time it takes to make a grocery list will save you money and calories. Making a list will prevent you from purchasing impulse items at the grocery store, which are most often high-calorie snack foods. It will also help you stick to a budget, if you know what you are going in for you won’t just buy things because they are on sale but because you know you will use them. Writing down what you plan to buy will also help you take a second glance at the foods in your diet. Use the list Ann gave you last week as a start!

Have Backup Plans

I am a realist, I understand that there will be weeks and days when cooking just isn’t feasible. In this case have your backups. When I use the slow cooker, since it is just my husband and I we usually freeze half of it. That way for weeks when I don’t have time to cook we have a meal ready to defrost. It might also work for you to keep a few Lean Cuisines or Smart Ones in the freezer. No, these aren’t home cooked meals, but they are portion controlled for a last minute option. Lastly, my go to on really busy nights is peanut butter and jelly on whole wheat bread—a little protein, fiber and you are good to go.

The key to taking steps towards healthy eating is thinking ahead, planning, making lists, and having alternatives in place when life seems to get too busy. I challenge you to plan your meals for the next week, see how it goes, let me know what challenges you face and if it seemed easy or difficult.

Come back next week for tips on healthy grab-and-go breakfasts!

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Lauren Futrell Dunaway, MPH, RD, graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Dietetics.  She then completed her dietetic internship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. After becoming a Registered Dietitian, she began to pursue a Master of Public Health in Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Lauren currently works at the Tulane Prevention Research Center as a program manager for their core research project focusing on the built environment and how it affects obesity. Contact Lauren at befitnolard@gmail.com

We all like life to be simple, right?!? When it comes to health, nutrition, diet and exercise – a lot of people get easily confused by contradictory reports, and broad explanations.  I keep encountering people who just want straight answers and options.

Well…I’ve got something good for you today courtesy of Ochsner and Rouses.  Now, mind you, this list does not obligate you to shop at Rouses…

What is this list?!?  Ochsner nutritionist Molly Kimball, RD, CSSD has handpicked a list of groceries guaranteed to boost the quality of your diet. By filling your shopping cart with these items, you’ll be reducing or eliminating your intake of saturated and trans fats and processed carbohydrates, and increasing whole grain, protein-rich and vitamin/mineral-rich foods in your diet.

The list is separated by produce, meat, dry food, condiments & sauces, poultry & eggs, dairy, seafood and so on.  This is an extremely thorough and helpful list.

You can find the the full list at Choose Healthy Grocery List - here is a look at what’s on the list.

Hot and Cold Cereals
Cold
Kellogg’s Special K Protein Plus
Post Brand Flakes
Post Shredded Wheat: original
Post Shredded Wheat: spoon size
Quaker Crunchy Corn bran…

Bread
Nature’s Own 100% Whole Wheat Bread
Nature’s Own 100% Whole Wheat Bagel
Pepperidge Farm Natural Whole Grain 15 Bread
Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain English Muffin (100% whole wheat)
Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain Oatmeal Bread
Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain 100% Whole Wheat Bagel
Thomas Hearty Whole Wheat Mini-Bagel…

Frozen Vegetables
Edamame
Ore-Ida Roasted Potatoes: Original
Best Yet: green peppers, cut-leaf spinach, lima beans, cut okra, broccoli, cut carrots, collard greens, black eye peas, butter beans
Pict Sweet: carrots, butter beans, purple-hulled peas, sliced yellow squash, mixed greens, chopped turnip

Canned Goods
StarKist Chunk Lite Tuna in Water
Chicken of the Sea Pink Salmon
StarKist Yellowfin Tuna Fillets (Pouches)
Hormel Breast of Chicken in Water
BlueRunner Creole Cream-style Red Beans
BlueRunner Creole Cream-style Navy Beans

Rice, Dried Beans, Pasta
Basmati Rice: All brands
Brown Rice: All brands
Dried Beans (pinto, kidney, navy, lima, black-eyed, etc.)
Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Whole Grain Pasta
HeartLand 100% Whole Wheat Spaghetti
Barilla Plus Spaghetti & Penne Pasta

Print out the list and make your grocery shopping off of that list – choose recipes that use the ingredients on that list and eat in moderation.  Continue to read the blogs posts from our wonderful registered dietitians Lauren and Steve, for more tips, information and nutritional advice.  We do like to keep things simple around here!

Image via Wikipedia

We’ve covered the basics of a healthy eating plan over the past two weeks but within those categories there are new things to try and new favorites to be found!

One reason people don’t stick with healthy eating plans they try is it seems that there are only certain things they can eat or they don’t like the way the “healthy” food tastes.

Within the food groups we’ve discussed over the past two weeks there is a wide range of choices and selections to find things that you not only enjoy but that are healthy too!

All it takes is being willing to try something new and before you know it you will have an expanded grocery list. Try one of these suggestions this month and you might be surprised with a new favorite food!

• Start Small—Try foods similar to those you like. If you like mashed potatoes, try smashed cauliflower, if you like meat loaf try making it with ground turkey.

• Branch Out—Do you eat the same meat all the time? Instead of beef or chicken try a new fish. Head to the fish counter and ask for suggestions for a local catch. A recipe for that locally caught mahi mahi is only finger tips away with websites like www.allrecipes.com, www.cookinglight.com, and one of my personal favorites www.healthylivingwithellie.com (recipes from a dietitian that taste great!).

• Switch Sides and Snacks—Sides and snacks are a good way to incorporate new foods because you don’t have to commit to a main dish. Try a handful of walnuts, sunflower seeds, or dried fruits for a snack. For a side, choose polenta or couscous instead of rice

• Have Fun—Try new foods with friends. Have a potluck and have each person bring a new recipe for the group to try. Feeling brave? Go out to a new restaurant with friends and let the server decide what you will eat based on what most people order.

A healthy eating plan that is designed by you and incorporates new and old favorites will be much more sustainable than eating foods you don’t really enjoy but eat them because you are “supposed to”. So step out, try a new fish, sauté your vegetables instead of boiling them, choose a new fruit to add to the grocery list each week. Before you know it you will find healthy favorites to keep you satisfied and on track.

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Lauren Futrell Dunaway, MPH, RD, graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in Dietetics.  She then completed her dietetic internship at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. After becoming a Registered Dietitian, she began to pursue a Master of Public Health in Maternal and Child Health and Nutrition at Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. Lauren currently works at the Tulane Prevention Research Center as a program manager for their core research project focusing on the built environment and how it affects obesity.

I’m very excited that Be Fit NOLA is grabbing the bull by the horn and has challenged the people of New Orleans to join the Pound for Pound Challenge. From what I’ve seen of my Boot Camp classes – I know that people in this great city can rise to the challenge. I’m definitely here to help.

I’ve put together 5 easy weight loss tips to get you started:

1. Eat 5-6 Times a Day:  The hardest part to shedding pounds is fighting the hunger pains. No one likes to be hungry (p.s. that’s why you’re pledging to lose weight because in New Orleans we have 1000s of people who go hungry each day).  If you eat 5-6 times a day – three small meals of about 300 calories and 2-3 snacks of about 50-150 calories (depending on sex, activity level and amount of weight desired to lose) you will find it easier to stick with the lower calorie intake. By eating 5-6 times a day, you keep yourself nourished and you also keep your metabolism burning calories for you.

Many people think that not eating will help them lose weight; however, this simply does not work as well as some people might think. When your body doesn’t get the food it needs, it tries to conserve its energy…this means your body begins to burn less fat. In addition, when your body lacks the essential vitamins and nutrients it needs and gets from healthy food, you begin to feel tired and weak and can’t do as many activities…which means you burn fewer calories. Such a vicious and senseless cycle; prevent it by eating 5-6 times a day.

2. Drink Lots of Water: Here are some things you might not have known about the functions of water in the human body – Water:

• Transpsort nutrients and oxygen into cells
• Moisturizes the air in lungs
• Helps with metabolism
• Protect our vital organ
• Helps our organs to absorb nutrients better
• Regulates body temperature
• Detoxifies
• Protect and moisturizes our joints

(Source Mangosteen-Natural-Remedies.com)

Drinking (8) 8oz. glasses of water a day will have tremendous benefits to you and it will also curb your appetite.  Start drinking!

3. Avoid Processed Foods: Processed foods have been altered from their natural state for safety reasons and for convenience. The methods used for processing foods include canning, freezing, refrigeration, dehydration and aseptic processing. Not all processed foods are bad but there are the ones to avoid:

• Canned foods with lots of sodium
• White breads and pastas made with refined white flour, which are not as healthy as those made with whole grains
• Packaged high-calorie snack foods, like chips and cheese snacks
• High-fat convenience foods, like cans of ravioli
• Frozen fish sticks and frozen dinners
• Packaged cakes and cookies
• Boxed meal mixes
• Sugary breakfast cereals
• Processed meats

(Source About.com)

4. Reduce your Fat Intake: Fat contains twice the caloric density of carbohydrates and protein, so limit the amount that you consume. Fill your diet with lean protein (chicken with no skin, fish, egg whites, and leaner beef) and carbohydrates from plants and whole grains.

5. Add Fiber to your Diet: Two great things about fiber: it keeps everything in your stomach and digestive system moving – keeps you nice and regular. Secondly, foods high in fiber fill you up and help curb hunger pains. Check-out the Mayo Clinic chart of food high in fiber to know what to eat from now on. You’ll find fruits, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds listed.

Just by following these tips, you will find that you are able to lose weight quickly and effectively, while ensuring that you are still healthy and able to keep doing everything you usually do activity-wise. This helps to ensure that not only are you able to continue losing weight, but you are able to enjoy yourself while doing it. These quick weight loss tips are a sure way to help get you on track towards the weight you desire.

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Jonas Deffes, New Orleans Exercise Specialist

Provides the therapeutic benefits of health and exercise at companies and events throughout New Orleans along with his very popular New Orleans Boot Camp for women. I am very serious about building long-term relationships, achieving positive results and upholding my commitment to excellence.